DOTr, LTO to revive ‘mutated’ MVIS

MANILA, Philippines — The widely criticized private motor vehicle inspection system or MVIS has been “roused from the dead” by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said yesterday.

“The inspection scheme has been put on hold on orders of Malacañang. Now, it appears that it has mutated into something else,” Recto said.

Recto called on the DOTr to explain to car owners the “specifications of the new order from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).”

He said the LTO’s endorsement of the services of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) seems to border on the mandatory.

In a Memorandum Circular dated July 5 and published in newspapers, the DOTr set the guidelines for the LTO to accept motor vehicle inspection reports only from PMVICs in their designated areas.

“Has the revival of the mothballed PMVIC scheme been given a go-signal by the Office of the President?” Recto said.

President Duterte ordered the suspension of the MVIS last February amid public outrage.

Recto said the LTO should ensure that the scheme would not result in long lines of car owners and longer travel time to PMVIC sites.

He added that an LTO district office would need to have a favored PMVIC where a vehicle owner must “detour to” before having his car registered.

Recto said the LTO should also clearly specify the fees and scope of the vehicle inspection.

“If this rule is mishandled by the DOTr, it may tarnish whatever legacy the administration is trying to build in the transportation sector,” Recto said.